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Etailers still need to improve customer service: survey

Online retailers still need to work on customer services, with slow responses to customer queries among the areas which need improvement.

The latest e-Customer Service Index survey by eDigitalResearch and IMRG, which asked 10,000 respondents, scored 76.7% overall, compared with 79.6% in November 2008. Providing online help and the speed of response to customer enquiries were the main issues.

by Graham Charlton 07 August 2009 10:28am 3 comments

Global online ad spending still in decline

For the second consecutive quarter, online ad spending has been in decline: 5% in Q3 of this year, according to IDC. The company forecast continaul shrinkage in spend for the rest of the calendar year, saying we may have to wait until mid-2010 for a meaningful recovery in online media buying in search, display, and classified advertising.

Global online spending shrunk this past quarter to $13.9 billion, versus $14.7 billion in the same year-ago period. Only the Asia/Pacific region and Japan saw slight spending gains.

by Rebecca Lieb 05 August 2009 20:59pm 0 comments

P&O comes top of travel website usability study

Cross-channel ferry operator P&O is one of the most usable travel websites in the UK, according to a study of 18 leading sites, while the wooden spoon goes to Eurotunnel.

The eDigital Research Travel Benchmark report (registration required) surveyed mystery shoppers to provide ratings for first impressions, search, the booking process, and customer service.

by Graham Charlton 24 July 2009 12:15pm 6 comments

Paid search spending is not going down

According to a recent post from Heather Hopkins at Hitwise, the share of search traffic coming from paid listings is decreasing at the expense of organic traffic.

The stats highlight a 26% decline in the share of paid clicks, but is paid search really falling? Let’s take a closer look...

by Ed Stevenson 23 July 2009 12:00pm 3 comments

UK etailers could do more to maximise sales: study

While some of the the top UK e-commerce sites are doing the basics reasonably well, many are failing to add extra value by using things like video and editorial content to promote their products.

This is the verdict of a dotCommerce study released today, which has looked at the websites of 20 online retailers in the UK, and benchmarked them against 24 best practice guidelines.

by Graham Charlton 23 July 2009 11:25am 2 comments

20% of marketing emails missing inboxes: survey

Email deliverability is still an issue for companies, with an average of just 79.3% of permission-based commercial emails reaching inboxes in Canada and the US.

This statistic comes from a Return Path Deliverability benchmark report, and suggests that a significant proportion of marketing budgets are being wasted.

by Graham Charlton 22 July 2009 10:22am 1 comment

Making the most of mobile advertising

More than half of respondents to a recent survey said they find mobile an easy-to-use platform with which to communicate with their favourite brands, and agreed that they would be willing to pass on offers to their family and friends.

The research, endorsed by the Internet Advertising Bureau and the Mobile Marketing Association, shows 54% of the people questioned would be willing to use mobile to interact with "brands of their preference".

by Kevin Gibbons 14 July 2009 10:53am 1 comment

Council websites could improve usability: study

While the average usability score for local council websites has improved over last year, there is still plenty of work to be done to improve the user experience, according to a new report.

Webcredible's Local Council Websites report (registration required) gave an average score of 59.9% for usability, an improvement on last year's average of 56.6%.

by Graham Charlton 08 July 2009 09:01am 3 comments

C'mon. Admit it. You really want an iPhone

iphone love iPhone users are happier. Their phones are smarter. And BlackBerry users have a serious case of iPhone envy.

Research firm Crowd Science learned, in a survey conducted over the past month that iPhone have a satisfaction score of 73% with their devices, compared wtih Blackberry owners (52%) and other smartphone users (41%). Even more iPhone owners say they're loyal to the brand (82%).

by Rebecca Lieb 23 June 2009 17:06pm 12 comments

Elderly and low-income homes drop phone and cable for broadband

In the midst of a severe recession, Americans are cutting their monthly bills to the bone. Landline phones and cable television are now nice-to-haves rather than must-have. But a broadband internet connection? Non-negotiable.

We've come a long way since the dial-up era, when usability best practices cautioned against using slow-to-load graphics on Web sites and in email. The Pew Internet & American Life project's Home Broadband Adoption 2009 report indicates home broadband penetration is holding steady at 54-57 percent of households, a healthy 63 percent of adult Americans. But adoption among senior citizens (65 and older) jumped from 19 percent last May to 30 percent in April of this year.

by Rebecca Lieb 18 June 2009 17:20pm 1 comment